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LECTUR E 




ON THE 



-I 6 



yu 



DISCOVERY OF AMERICA BY THE NORTHMEN 



FIVE HUNDRED YEARS BEFORE COLUMBUS, 



DELIVERED IN 



NEW-YORK AND IN THE OTHER CITIES OF THE STATE, 



ALSO 



IN SOME OF THE FIRST SEMINARIES. 



BY a!. DAVIS, 

FORMBRLY CHAPLAIN OF THE SENATE, &C. OF NEW-YORK. 



THIRD EDITION. 



^oPy<^:g^;?>'5^ 



_ ^-p;^"-rr^- 



NEW. YORK : 

PUBLISHED BY SAMUEL COLEMAN, 
NO. 8 ASTOR HOUSE— BROADWAY. 



1839. 






V ^ 



"^^-*-^V.X\ ^ ';n-^.>;:^>- 



V ^- 



Entered according; to the Act of Congress, A. D. 1839, by Asahel Davis,: 
in the Clerk's Office of the Dristxict Court of tlie United States, for tlte 
Southren District of New- York. 






3 S ^^ 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Two editions of this lecture have been sold in less than two months* 
The third is presented with some improvements. 

Extract of a letter from Professor Willoughby, President of the Medi- 
cal College, Fairfield, N. Y. fo G. W. Card, M. D., Ohio. 

" Mr. Davis is lecturing on history, and gave last evening to the citi- 
zens here, and to the students of both institutions, a most eloquent and 
interesting lecture on the antiquity of our country, and the utmost cer- 
tainty of the discovery thereof before the days of Columbus — to my 
mind the evidence is conclusive." 

From Drs. Coventry and Goodsell, distinguished physicians of Utica. 

•• Mr. Davis has delivered the lecture which is noticed above to a large 
audience in this city. We the undersigned, who were present at its 
delivery, take great pleasure in expressing our own gratification and in 
stating our belief that all his auditors were highly pleased. The Lec- 
ture is instructive and interesting. 

From Mrs. Willard, of Troy. 

" Mr. Davis has delivered an interesting and instructive lecture, rela- 
ting to the history of our country, to the members of the Troy Female 
Seminary." 

The Commercial, of Buffalo, Jan. 23. 

After speaking of the lecture, " On the discovery of the Northmen," 
says, " we have perused it somewhat hastily and find it abounding with 
historical facts of a very interesting nature, compiled with much care 
and labor and adorned with that poetry of thought so indispensible 
when pubbshsd in the form of a book." 



6^- ! 






The generous patronage received for the delivery of the following 
lecture leads to its publication. Though faint the ray of knowledge it 
may impart, yet I trust it will still be seen and its benefita rewarded 
while exhibited in a different medium. 

The sale of two editions, in less than three months, shows that this 
hope of success has not been disappointed. The third is presented with 
improvements. 

Together with original matter, the lecture is a compilation from 
some of the most popular periodicals of the day- To collect and arrange 
facts from various sources — "hoc opus, hie labor est." The History of 
the Northmen by Hon. Mr. Wheaton, and the splendid work on Ameri- 
can Antiquities, published last year in^Demmark, have also been consulted. 

Some unimportant differences will be found between the prcsept and 
past form of the lecture. 



LECTU RE. 



While the beauties of the visible creation fade on the eye — while all 
nature reposes under the mantle of night, it is pleasant to leave the haunts 
of business for the lecture room, and to survey the dark regions of the 
past under the light of history. 

That curiosity which is attracted by theories, not because they are 

new, but beause they are based in truth, is the first and last principle of 
a great and noble mind. It is this which induces the traveller to cross 
the turbulent ocean — to scale lofty mountains, and to sit down as on the 
brink of volcanos. It is this, which leads the naturalist to survey the 
works of creation, where he sees that all things rejlect the perfections of 
Deity ; yes even the violet, fresh from the sleep of winter, tells him that 
there is a God, and that he is great and good. And it is curiosity that 
causes the historian to inquire when and whence was this mighty conti- 
nent peopled ? 

That America was peopled by those in advance of the savage state 
long before any authentic accounts are given of settlements, is manifest 
from nameless monuments of antiquity found in various parts. 

The ruins of a city in Central America are among the most striking 
of such. This city, called Palenque, lies two hundred and forty miles 
from Tabasco — lat. about 15p. 

It will be recollected that the avaricious Spaniards discovered and 
conquered Mexico on the north, and Peru and Chili on the south of Cen- 
tral America, in the first place ; but, at length the solitude of the latter 
was broken, and there was discovered the El Dorado, about which the 
wh»le Spanish nation had so long been dreaming. It was found, not 
above, but beneath the surface of the earth — not on the wide andflowr" 
plain ; but under a forest of huge trees. And there were discovereu 



not such buildings as those erected by the Druids, of rough and mi.- 
shapea stones ; but such as those in winch lungs dwell-built of hewn 

^^The appearance of these ruins shows that a nation once existed there 
highly skilled in the mechanic arts, and in a state of civilization far be- 
yond any thing that we have been led to believe of the aborigines, pre- 
vious to the time of Columbus. 

A disti«guished antiquary of New York has received from this city 
a beautiful specimen of the fine arts-an idol of pure gold. 

This city has emphatically been called the Thebes of America. In 
surveying its ruins, the traveller is led to believe that it was founded at as. 
early a period as the renowned cities of Egypt. 

How immense this city ! It is supposed to have been sixty miles m 
circumference, and that it contained a population of nearly three mil. 
lions. Great were its commercial privileges-even now, the broad and 
beautiful Otulum rolls along its desolated borders. 

Palenque, lying about one thousand miles from Mexico, and being 
elevated five thousand feet above the ocean, enjoyed a climate almost 
unequalled for its pleasantness. The natural beauty of the scenery was^ 
unrivalled-the soil rich and fertile beyond any other portion of the 



globe 



One of the principal structures revealed to the eye of the antiquarian 
is the teoculi or temple. Its style of architecture resembles the Gothic. 
It is rude, massive, and durable. Though resembling the Egyptian edi- 
fices, yet this and the other buildings are peculiar, and are different from 
all others hitherto known. 

The entrance to this temple is on the east side by a portico more than 
one hundred feet in length, and nine feet broad. The rectangular pil- 
lars of the portico have their architraves adorned with stucco work of 
shields and other devices. This temple stands on an elevation of sixty 
feet. Would that its exalted location and its splendor were indicative of 
devated and enlarged views its worshippers might have had of the Su- 
preme Being ; but certain objects or relievos, lead to the supposition tliat 
within its massive walls human beings were sacrificed to incensed divi- 
nities. Amid this wilderness of ruins are now to be seen fourteen large 
stone buildings with many of their apartments in good condition. 

The antiquity of this city is manifest not only from its nameless hiero- 
glyphics and other objects ; but from the age of some of the trees 
growing over buildings where once the hum of industry and the voice of 
merriment were heard. Two hundred natives were employed by the 



Spaniards in felling the trees and in consuming them by fire. The work 
was executed in about twenty days. 

The concentric circles of some of the?e trees were counted, which 
showed that they were more than nine hundred years of age. 

Lord Kingsboro' thinks that the inhabitants of this city of the desert 
were the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. One of the facts on 
which this theory is based is, that the temple resembles that of Solomon. 
His opinion is evidently erroneous, from the fact that the people of Pa- 
lenque are different from all others in those distinguishing characteris- 
tics which have ever been assumed as the criteria of distinct species of 
men. The physical structure of this people, as well as various charac 
teristics, lead to the supposition that they are not derived from any known 
pre-existent people. 



Shade of Spurz- 
heim ! tell if thou 
canst what quali- 
ties such a formed 
head as this im- 
plies. 




This helmet is 
said to resemble 
those described 
by Homer. 



Oh ! that some mighty genius like that of Belzoni would arise and 
remove from this city of the world called new, the veil that conceals its 
origin. 

It is supposed that this city was destroyed by some internal convulsion, 
or like those of the south of Europe, was overwhelmed by barbarians of 
the north. Such it is said were of Celtic origin. 

It is not singular that it should have been concealed from view for 



ages, when we recollect that cities of the eastern continent have in like 
manner remained in ohlivion till of late. We allude to the ruins of Pes- 
tum in Campania of Italy, and to those of Petra of Idumea in Asia. A 
new forest hid for centuries, the former from the degenerate sons of 
Rome, while the splendid structures of Petra were known only to Be. 
douins for over a thousand years. Who does not delight to read about 
the roses of Pestum ? Yet they still unfold their inimitable petals amid 
the ruins of palaces and beside dilapidated temples. 

Do we admire the boundless forests, the lofty mountains, and the ma- 
jestic rivers of our hemisphere ? The vast wilderness of ruins, once 
enlivened by intelligent beings, should demand a higher claim to our 
admiration. 

The antiquities of America stretch from the great lakes of the north 
and west to central America, and the southern parts of Peru on the 
south ; from the Allegany movmtains on the east, to the Rocky mountains 
on the west ; and even from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. 

As yet, we must ask in vain, who were the founders of these cities of 
the dead ? Alas ! their names have faded into oblivion. The remem- 
brance of their deeds remains not even in tradition or legendary song. 

We will not say as the Athenians said of their nation, that the first! 
inhabitants of America were created when the sun was first lit up in the 
sky ; but we must presume they early reached this continent from the 
old world. 

The learned Dr. Clarke says that the continents were once united, but 
that by the force of winds and waves the isthmuses were broken up and 
formed into islands along the coasts. Easy however is the transition 
from the east to the west by the way of Bhering's straits when we con- 
sider that they are only thirteen leagues wide. 

Adverse winds also might have driven the frail vessels of the ancients 
to the region lying on the gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. 

But as the tropical animals found in America could not have crossed 
over by Bhering's straits when frozen, it is said they must have come 
by land that once extended from Asia to America in the torrid zone. 
Hence the course taken by the Palencians in coming from the plains of 
Shinar. It is evident that they must have come to Central America 
immediately after the flood, before any orders of architecture were in- 
vented, otherwise they would have introduced such into their new 
city. And might not the Palencians also have creased over by the 
former route, if Dr. Clarke's theory be true, allowmg that it was once 
much warmer than at present in the high latitudes ? 

The traces of different races of men, now extinct, are to be found in 



America, as the d\Varfish and the giant. The graves of the former^ 
four and a half feet long, are seen in Georgia, and the bones of the 
latter farther north — some of the thigh bones are two or three inches 
longer than those of the present inhabitants — craniums are found large 
enough to cover the head of the observer. 

It is thought that the ancestors of the present race of Indians are of 
Tartar origin, who came to this continent by the way of the Fox Islands 
about A. D. 600. 

The eyes of mankind from the time of Pythagoras have been turned 
to the west in anticipation that here new discoveries were to be made 
and hither were the adventurous at length led. 

And who was the first among known discoverers ? "Who are not 
ready to answer, Columbus ? 

A different answer might surprise some. One is given in the name of 
the Northmen. It is asserted that Leif, a Northman, was the first who 
discovered the country south of Greenland, unless we except New- 
foundland. 

Biarne sailed from Norway, directed by the stars, for Greenland ; but 
^eing driven by the winds for several days to the south, he saw an 
island — probably Newfoundland. 

The discovery of America by the Northmen excites a vast deal of 
curiosity. And is it not a laudable curiosity that leads one to ascertain 
what while men first trod regions in which the modest wild flower wasted 
its sweetness on the desert air ? 

As Geography is one of the eyes of history, it would be well at this 
time to direct the attention to the map of North America, and to those oi 
Massachusetts and Rhode Island in particular. 

The Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians in Copenhagen have 
lately published an important work. "While the contents of this massive 
work are invaluable, its mechanical execution reflects great honor on 
the society that published it. 

This work is called, as translated from the Latin, " American Anti- 
quities, or northern writings of things in America before the time of 
Columbus." 

The determination was formed about ten years since by the Royal 
Society of Antiquarians in Copenhagen to publish the authorities on 
which these accounts rest in the original documents, accompanied with 
full commentaries and illustrations. The text is in the Icelandic 
tongue. 

The inquiry is often made, who were the Northmen ? They were the 
descendants of the Scandina.vians, who it is thought sprang from the 



Tliracians mentioned by Homer — a nation now extinct. The North- 
men lived in Denmark and Norway. Their literature has been com- 
pared in extent to the literary remains of Greece and Latiiira. This 
opens a new fountain of research, where the scholar may often 

«* Return and linger, linger aiul return." 

This great work contains two Icelandic documents now for the first 
time published accurately in a complete form, purporting to be histories 
written by or for persons who discovered and visited the North American 
coast early in the eleventh century, confirmed and illustrated by extracts 
from no less than fifteen other original manuscripts, in which the facts 
set forth in these histories are either mentioned or alluded to. The 
Royal Society have already collected two thousand sagas or works of 
Scandinavian or Icelandic history. 

In this work in particular is found Adam Bremen's account of the 
discovery of America, communicated to him in the eleventh century 
by Sweyn Estrithson, king of Denmark. 

1st. Are these documents genuine ? 

2d. If so, why have they not been heard of before ? 

Tiie work itself contains evidences of the antiquity and authe.nticity 
of the manuscripts from which the publication has been made, sufiicient 
to raise them above any just suspicion. 

These documents, as Professor Rafn says, have been known to Ice- 
landic scholars, but these have been so ^cw comparatively and the means 
of these few so limited, that they have not been able to give them suit, 
able examination, much less to be at the expen^jo of publishing them. 

How long did the ancient classics, for instance, lay concealed in the 
monasteries of Europe for the want of some one to exhibit them to 
public view 1 These Icelandic documents may have been hid in like 
manner in the libraries of priests. And ^ve may say that the Society 
of Antiquarians in Copenhagen, in bringing these documents to light, 
resembles the conduct of the poet Laureate, Petrarch, in the fourteenth 
century, who at his own expense, had the vahiable manuscripts of anti- 
quity dragged from the dust of the cloisters, transcribed and exhibited 
to the world. 

Who does not admire the lovely scenery, where the beautiful and sub- 
lime are blended, displayed in the succession of falls at Trenton ? Yet 
these were concealed for ages, till a master-spirit revealed them to an 
admiring world ! And does not the raven wing of night hide the works 
of art also till disclosed in a similar way ? The learned of Iceland, though 



10 

like the generality of poets were poor, yet they wore not disposed, like 
Milton, to sell their manuscripts for a paltry sum. 

It is Avell known that the Norwegians have long claimed the honor of 
discovering and colonizing America before the time of Columbus. 

Iceland appears to have been a medium of communication between 
Norway and Greenland — a stepping-stone, as it were, from one conti- 
nent to another. 

Iceland, thought by some to be the " Ultima Thule " of Virgil, was 
discovered by the Norwegians in 861. The oppression of king Harold 
Harfaga drove them there for an asylum. 

But the restless spirit of the Norlhmen would not allow them to be 
idle. They made incursions in every direction, and discovered Green- 
land in 984. 

In 986, a colony was begun by Eric, the red. This was at length 
destroyed. By the exertions of the Danish Society, the ruins of this 
settlement have been discovered. It was located on the west, near Cape 
Farwell. It is seen in the remains of churches and buildings. 

Leif, the son of Eric, commenced a voyage of discovery in the year 
1000. His crew consisted of thirty-five men.* 

After sailing for some time south west, they made land — they anchored 
and went ashore. This place was destitute of grass, and was covered 
with a slaty rock which they called Helluland. This is supposed to be 
Labrador. Fisherman of the present day will give a like description of 
that barren region. 

From thence they sailed southwardly, and after holding on for some 
time, they again made land and went ashore. This country was level, 
had a low coast, presenting here and there bluffs of white sand, and \vas 
thickly covered with wood. This they named Markland, or Woodland. 
This is thought to be Nova Scotia. 

Leaving Markland, they sailed south westerly with a fair wind two 
days before seeing land again, when they passed down a promontory,. 
probably the east side of Cape Cod, stretching east and north, and then 
turning west between an island (Martha's Vineyard) and the main land, 
they entered a bay, (Narragansett Bay,) through which a river flowed, 
(Taunton River,) when they came to anchor and went ashore. Resolving 
to spend the winter here, they called the place Leifsbuthir, or place of 
booths. Here finding grapes very plenty, they called the place Vineland, 
or Wineland the good. This land, to those coming from the remote 
north, appeared as nature in the " world's first spring." 

* Leif was the first to introduce missionaries into Greenland. 



11 



Early in the season they returned to Greenland. Lclf 's return became 
the principal subject of conversation. 

The next e.dventurer was Thor^vold, his brother. And you will observe 
that he and the other navigators give the same account of places they 
visited Were not this the case, who could believe any of their reports . 

Thorwald, thinking the country had not been sufficiently explored, set 
sail in 1002, and proceeded to Leifsbuthir, where he lived till 1004. 

In the sprin- of 1004, he sailed from Leifsbuthir, after passing along 
the shore of Ic promontory east and north, they sailed round a sharp 
point of land called Kjarla«es. This must have been Cape Cod. Kjar- 
ianes implies Kedcape. For Cape Cod, at the extremity, is m shape of 
the keel of ancient vessels, which curved inward. 

It is supposed Thorwald was killed, by the natives, near Plymouth. 

In 1006, Thorfms, or Thorfin, commanded one of the three ships that 
came from Iceland to Greenland. He was of royal Uneage. 

In the spring of 1007, Thorfin, with three ships and one hundred and 
sixty men, besides cattle and all necessary materials for establishing a 
colony, set sail for Vineland. ,, , , j 

They sailed to Helluland or Labrador; from thence to Markhnd or 
Nova Scotia; and from thence to Kjarlanes, or Cape Cod. Sailing south 
by the east side of the promontory, which terminated at Kjarlanes, they 
pLed along beaches or trackless dese.^s of sand. How descriptive ol 

this bleak and steril coast. 

Those who have sailed from Boston to Narragansett Bay, are ready to 
sav, that I am not drawing an ideal picture. 

Cominuing .hei. course, .hey arrived at a. island between wh.cl, and 
.he-tnain land a stream appeared to pass. They called tt Shaun,ey- 
T is is supposed to he Martha's Vineyard. Nine tnen went away 
one of the ships and never returned. It is said they were dr.ven on the 
coast of Ireland whore they were seized as slaves. 

In tlte spring, Thorfin and one hundred and fiftyone others we t. • 
•he main land. They called the place Hop, the residence afterwards of 

d„rp 1 p. Here Ly found largo numbers of skrellings or nat.vos 
T '.fin can-led on a traffic wtth them by e.changmg btt, of colored 
cloth for furs. In consequence of their frequent attacks, >n 1009, the, 
'« to Greenland. Then it will be recollected that the Northmen 

,adnotthe use of fire-arms, with which to defend themselves agamst 

he rs a Its of the savages. These lords of the wilds had a rude kmd 
of engine by which they hurled large stones agamst thetr foes ; and >t,s 

p ssiWe thaf the white man would never have driven tho rod man from 



12 

the Atlantic to the Rocky mountains, but for the invention of gun- 
jjovvder. 

I cnanot forbear to speak of the valor of one of this crew of the 
Noi-fhmen,'a female. "When all the rest were disposed to flee before the 
savage foe, she exclaimed, " If I only had a weapon, I ween I could fight 
better than any of you." Ah, when we consider the patriotism of the 
females at the siege of Carthage, when they cut their locks to make 
ropes for engines of war, and when we recollect the courage of Isabella, 
of Castile, who at the conquest of Grenada, though in ill health, led on 
her veterans to conquest and glory, have we not reason to suppose that 
this Scandinavian was sincere in her declaration? Truly, raZor and 
hencvolence are but parallel streams in the female heart. We would 
not applaud courage, however, unless under the control of a higher and 
holier principle. 

Thorfin married Gudrida, the widow of Thorstein, third son of Eric. 
She accompanied her husband to Vineland. Snorre, their son, was the 
first white child born in America. From him descended the distinguish, 
ed associate of Professor Rafn — Finn Magnusen. The great sculptor 
Thorwaldscn, now in Europe, is also of this family. Bishop Thulack 
Rudolfson was a descendant of Thorfin's, and it is supposed that he 
wrote o'" compiled these documents. 

While some of the Northmen went as far as Florida, I have spoken 
only of those who visited Vineland. 

Thorfin, the most distinguished of these, returned to Iceland, where 
he ended his days, living in great splendor. 

The editor of the American antiquities. Professor Rafn, and his asso- 
ciate. Professor Finn Magnusen, think that Vineland was situated in the 
east part of Rhode Island, and in the south part of Massachusetts, on 
and about Narragansett Bay and Taunton River. 

The points in the Icelandic documents alluding to the locality of 
Vineland may be reckoned the Geography, Natural History, Astronomi. 
cal Phenomena and vestiges of residence of Northmen in that place. 
All of these, in the opinion of the editor of the American Antiquities, 
point to the head of Narragansett Bay as the locality of Hop, the central 
part of Vineland. 

As the Royal Society have held correspondence with several learned 
societies in this country for some years, they are well qualified to form a 
judgment on this subject. 

The following letter from Gen. Holstein, Professor in " Albany Fe- 



13 

male Academy," will show llic care taken to acquire infoimation rola- 
tive to American Antiquities. 

"In proof of the great exertions made by tlie Northern Antiquarian 
Society in Copenhagen, to acquire a knowledge of Scandinavian Anti- 
quities in America, I hereby state that several years since, a letter of 
inquiry, sealed with the seal of the society, was sent to a professional 
gentleman of Geneva, in this state — a translation of which I made from 
the Danish tongue." 

The Geography of Vineland. — Concerning the situation of Hellu- 
land, there can be no doubt, as it was the first land south west of Green- 
land. Where else could this have been unless the coast of Labrador? 

Markland was situated south west from Helluland, three days sail, or 
three hundred and sixty English miles. This is supposed to be Nova 
Scotia. 

The distance of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick agrees -with the 
account the Icelanders gave of Markland. 

Vineland was situated two days sail, or about two hundred and forty 
English miles to the south west of Markland, and if Markland has been 
properly located, must be sought in or near the south part of Massa- 
chusetts. 

In the Icelandic documents it is said that Hop, the residence of Thor- 
fin, was situated on an elevation of land, near a river which flowed 
south through a bay into the ocean. From this the land stretched east, 
and turning north, formed a promontory which terminated in a point or 
cape which they call Kjarlanes. The east side of the promontory was 
bounded by long narrow beaches or sand hills. To those, who like my- 
self, have often viewed the Atlantic from these sand hills, this account 
appears peculiarly striking. 

The Natural History of Vinkland. — Vineland was remarkable 
for its vines, maple trees, maize, and a great variety of wild animals. 
The waters abounded with fish, and were occasionally visited with whales. 
Birds were numerous. The eider duck was seen about the islands in 
large numbers. 

As to vines, they are said to be numerous now, and this is more par- 
ticularly true of the country around Narragansett Bay. It is said the 
grapes are so numei'ous between Taunton and Providence, as to almost 
choke up the place where they grow. And was not an island caJIed 
Martha's Vineyard, on account of the multiplicityof vines growing 
there ? 

The celebrated Bishop Berkley, wlio attempted to establish a theo- 



u 

logical seminary in Rhode Island, says in his letter to his friendg linr 
Europe, that vines were as plenty on the island as in Italy. 

In the documents it is said, that in that region are the red, suga3% 
and bird's-eye maple. The Northmen cut down the trees, and after 
they were dry they loaded their ships with the timbor. It is supposed 
that the bird's-eye variety was made an article of commerce. 

As to Indian corn or maize, it seems our pilgrim fathers found soBsie, 
in what is now called Truro, near the end of the Cape. It was buri- 
ed in the earth. 
Deer still roam wild in the pine woods near Plymouth. 
It is needless to remind the reader of the multiplicity of fish that 
still abound in the waters of this region. The sportsman may, at 
this day, tell his friends in the language of Cap. Smith, of Jamestown, 
who described this quarter, " of the pleasure to bo derived from angling 
and crossing the sweet air, from isle to isle, over the silent streams of 
a calm sea." 

As to whales, I have occasionally seen them spouting around the 
Bandy shores of the Cape. 

In regard to the eider duck, in the documents it is said still to inhabit 
these parts. In the Latin translation it is called, " anas mollisima," a 
duck with the finest of feathers. Wild fowl must have been numerous 
there, as an island is still called Egg Island from the quantity of eggs 
they deposited. 

Thorfin desckiues the soil axd climate : — The winters of 
Vineland are said to be remarkably mild, but little snow falling, and 
cattle subsisting out of doors through the winter. 

This account does not agree with the description of New England 
winters at this time. Still however, it has been the practice of the 
farmers on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, to let their sheep and 
cattle lie out during the winter. But the cold Avinters of New Eng. 
land, compared with those of Greenland, are as the mildness of spring. 
But there have been great changes in the face of the earth, and in 
the cUmate, in diflferent ages. Change is the law of nature. Has 
not one of the bright cluster been blotted out of the map of heaven ? 
Such change also takes place on the foce of the earth. 

The Dead Sea was, in earlier times, sixty miles long— it is now 
only thirty. And even old Ontario, has receeded from her former 
bounds, leaving to the present generation a rich tract of land, several 
miles wide, and a beautiful ridge road. Who does not admire the ever- 
lasting rocks, rising in stern grandeur, on cither side of the MohaAvk 
at the Little Falls ? Yet, the lovely vale above, must once have been 



lo 

the bed of a vast lake. This is manifest from the fact, that there arc 
pot holes found at an elevation of sixty feet above tbe river, at these 
Falls. 

These circular excavations were made, ages since, by the clrcumvo- 
Itiiion of stones, driven by the rapid descent of the waters. You can 
see a dcinsnst ration of this fact bv looking at the Hio-h Falls of the 
Black River, or Trcnton. 

I have a specimen of Gneis, broken from one of these holes, which 
though -<? orn by the busy hand of old time, is as smooth as if polished 
by the lapidary. 

And what a mighty labor was that, for the waters of this lake to 
have fopnd their way, gradually, through the high and continuous wall 
of Gramte, where now the Mohawk murmurs as it rolls along its new 
channel. 

And fkow has the face of the earth changed in Massachusetts since 
visited by the Scandinavians/ For instance, at tlie extremity of the 
Cape called Kjarlanes, I have seen, amid wideAVaves of sand, innume- 
rable stumps of trees. So that where now is comparatively a desert of 
«and, and one as bleak as that of Sahara, once stood a dense forest. 
As the ocean is constantly encroaching on these barren shores, Gov- 
ernment is expending large sums to prevent its ravages by planting 
■beach grass. 

One circumstance forces itself on my mind that may not be improper 
to name. 

I do not find that there is any mention in these documents of there 
being masses of sand at Kjarlanes. As it is said, the east side of the 
promontory was bounded by long narrow beaches or sand hills, and 
from the remains of a forest of which I spake, at the extremity of 
this Cape, is it unreasonable to suppose it stood there in the days of 
the first voyagers ? 

Geological facts prove that it was much warmer fomierly in the 
north than it is now. 

For instance, we find from the skeleton of the elephant, found in 
Siberia, that this tropical animal once roamed there. 

That amid the bogs of Ireland, in Lapland, and in the marshy parts 
of North America, where it is too cold now for forests to appear, they 
once flourished. In Scotland also are to be found the remains of oak 
trees. It is too cold at present for them to grow there. 

The following observations from the work of Hugh Williamson, M. 
D., on Climate, politely handed me by Professor Green, of Albany, 
concur with the above views. 



16 

" h is no!, to he disputed that in lormcr ages Iceland produced timber 
in abundance. Largo trees are occasionally. found there in the mar- 
shes and vallics that have been fouud to a considerable depth in the 
ground. Segments of these fossil trees have lately been exported in 
proof of the alleged fact. 

It is asserted in the ancient Icelandic records, that when Ingulf, tho 
Norwegian first landed in Iceland, 879, he found so thick a cluster of 
birch trees, that he penetrated them with difliculty. 

When the fi'-gt Norwegian colony settled in Greenland, about 1000 
years ago, they found no ditiiculty from ice in approaching the 
coast, and a reguku correspondence was supported with their people 
for many years. 

And lias not climate clianged even in this region ? A gentleman o f 
Mount Morris says, that forty years ago, the winters were so mild in the 
Genesee Valley, that one could plough, and that swine lived through 
them in the woods. And is it unreasonable to suppose that the climate 
of New England was much milder in the days of the Northmen than it 
is now ? 

The learned editor and his associate, deduce from the Astronomical 
data, lat. dl'' 24' 10" which is the lattitude of Narragansett Bay and 

Mount Hope. There, at the winter solstice, December 22d, the day is 
nine hours. 

The reading, however, that leads to this has been disputed. The 
whole controversy turns on the meaning of two words. From what we 
can understand, we presume the editor is correct in his exposition. 

But suppose we were to i-eject all history on account of some appa- 
rent or real discrepancy in narration ? In such a case, some future 
reader might declare that the History of the American Revolution was 
neither credible nor authentic ; for it is said that the distinguished battle 
of the 17th June, '75, was fought on Bunker's Hill instead of Breed's. 
Who does not know that Bunker's Hill, rising back of Breed's, is more 
elevated than the latter on which the monument is rising ? I know not 
why Breed's Hill is called Bunker's unless on account of the greater 
harmony in the pronunciation of the latter, or that they proposed raising 
fortifications in the first place on Bunker's Hill. 

Little can be said if the vestiges of the residence of the 
Northmen in this country. 

There is a large rock at the junction of Smith's Creek with Taunton 
River, with a singular inscription on it. It was evidently made with an 
iron instrument. Passing over the particular remarks of the editor, on 
these letters, I would give his supposition aa to their meaning. 



17 

' Thorfin, with one hundred and fifty men, took possession of this 
country. 

rxxxiM 

f>ORFINX 

Where you see the character in the first line is the figure of a man, 
and where the first character stands in the second fine it is supposed T H 
was once made. 

Instead of Mr. Cath'n's having seen like inscriptions on white quartz 
rocks at the west, I am told on the best authority that he says he has not 
seen such there. 

The gentleman to whom I before alluded, and who takes a deep in- 
terest in these things, says that he has visited "Vineland," and finds the 
places mentioned in the documents identified. He has taken a copy 
of the above inscription from the rock itself. 

The people in the north of Europe were fond of making inscriptions 
on rocks on the borders of lakes and rivers ; for such are found in 
Norway, Sweden, and Scotland. They are called " runes." 

One of these inscriptions found on a rock in Sweden, has been 
deciphered by Professor Finn Magnusen. The inscription relates 
to a battle fought about A. D. 680 between the kings of Norway and 
Sweden. Accounts of this battle were given by authentic historians. 

As the monuments of antiquity in North America are different from 
those in Mexico, Central and South America, they must have been lefl 
by different races. It is said there is a similarity between the antiquities 
of North America and those found in the North of Europe. 

If the fabled Atalantis of Plato once lay west of Europe, might not the 
descendants of Japhet have passed to this continent by the way of Atalan- 
tis and Newfoundland as well as by Iceland ? 



Were the Northmen capable of making discoveries and of recording 
them ? The rude children of our forests could not perform a work so 
mighty. 

The Roman historian, Tacitus, spake of the invasion of the people 
of the north, before the Christian era. He says of the Cimbri, that they 
were not a small tribe, but mighty in fame ; that the vestiges of their 
ancient glory, still remained in their fortifications ; that no other nation 
had so often given them cause to dread their arms — not the Carthageni- 
ans, or Spaniards, or Gauls. 



18 

In latlcr limes, the Northmen made incursions upon Germany, France^ 
England tlie Orkney, Farroe and Shetland Isles. 

The French were in such fear of the Northmen, that they inserted its 
the Liturgy. A furore Normanorum, libera nos, O Domine ! 

In the ninth and tenth centuries, the Danes, or Northmen, invaded or 
took part of England, and seated one of their favorite prmces, Canute 
on the throne of Alfred. 

They were a daring people — the sea was their home — the mountain 
wave was the scene of their sport — far and wide did they wander without 
compass to guide. 

Their vessels were built of timber that is now eagerly sought by the 

first maritime nation of the earth. 

A people, some of whose leaders boasted of never having slept by a 
collage fire, became the dread of Christendom. They ruled the waters 
from the Arctic ocean, to the Azores — they passed between the pillars of 
Hercules — they ravaged the coasts of Spain and France — sacked the 
cities of Tuscany — drove the Saracens from Sicily. They desolated the 
classic fields of Greece — penetrated the walls of Constantinople. Yes, 
m rescuing the Holy Sepulchre, they led the van of the chivalry of Europe. 
Mark their valor and their success. For one hundred Northmen knights 
with one aid, or squire each, drove ten thousand Saracens from Sicily. 

Scott gives a beautiful description of this remarkable people, in speak- 
ing of the Western Isles. 

"Thither came in times afar, 
Stern Lochlin's sons of roving war ; 
The Northmen, trained to fire and blood, 
Skilled to prepare the raven's food ; 
Kings of the main, their leaders brave, 
Their barks the dragons of the wave."* 

Secst thou the tiny fleet of some school boy, launched on an insulated 
sheet of water? And such were the greatest armaments of the famous 
nation of antiquity, compared Avith those of the Northmen. 

The present illustrious queen of England, is a direct descendant of 
the Northmen. It will be recollected that Rollo, the Norman, invaded 
France, in 912, and enthroned himself in the north. In 1066, William, 
of Normandy, conquered England. These sovereigns were Northmen, 
and from their family the pride and glory of Great Britain descended. 

At the beginning of the eleventh century, the Danes and Norwegians 
were converted to Christianity, and thereby rcceived a new impulse, that 

* In describing king Harold's ship it i&_biiid— " And dragons* heads adorn th& 
prow of gold." 



19 

5cd them to extend the blessings of the ("Jospel. And who, but this people, 
could ever 'have established missions in Greenland? 



What shall \vc say of the ah'ditij of the Northmen, to record incidents 
oi their voyage ? 

in the year 1000, on their conversion to Christianity, they adopted 
the Roman alphabet. This was their Augustan age. The thirst ot the 
Icelanders lor learning, is seen in the conduct of Ulfigot, their supreme 
legislator, who, in 925, undertook a voyage to Norway, in his sixtieth 
ytsar, to acquire a more pefect knowledge of the legal customs and in- 
stitutions of the parent country. 

In Iceland, the leanied were called Skalds and Sagamen. 

The former were poets and historians. Skalds denote " Smoothera 
or polishers Of language." 

The Sagamen recited in prose, with greater detail, what the Skalds 
liad recited in verse. 

By the recitations of the Skalds, the real and traditionary history of 
the country was transmitted from generation to generation. 

Memory, is perhaps the most improvable faculty of our nature. De- 
prived of books, it depends upon its own resources. Its strength is seen 
in the following instance : An Icelandic Skald, sang sixty different lays 
in one evening before king Harold Sigurdson, and being asked if he knew 
any more, declared that these were only the half of what he could sing. 

Their traditionary histories were written down and preserved. 

As poetry is among the antiquities of all nations, the events it records 
liave ever been preserved by the recitations of Skalds, Minstrels, or 
Bards. 

And whom does the conqueror of Wales cut oft" from the land ? Does 
not Edward the First, of England, destroy the minstrels of Wales, lest 
they should, by their recitations, awaken that spirit of liberty in the breast 
of tiie vanquished, which would lead them to throw off" the yoke of the 
British monarch ? 

These Skalds were distinguished men — the companions of kings. 
They were sometimes kings, as in the instance of Regnar Loldbrok, 

The Sagamen made their recitations in public and private, at conve- 
nient opportunities. 

If Augustus delighted to have Virgil and Horace on either hand, so 
the Scandinavian monarchs rejoiced to have Skalds and Sagamen in their 
presence. 

At solemn feasts, the services ot' these men were required. 

Sffimimd,in 1056, collected the different poems relating to the mythol- 



20 

ogy and history of the north. The collection was called the " Poetic 
Edda." He was a man of learning, having been educated at the uni- 
versities of Germany and France. 

He performed for the ancient poems, the same office which is said to 
have been done by the ancient Greek rhapsodist, who first collected and 
arranged the songs of his predecessors, and reduced them to one conti- 
nuous poem, called Homer's Iliad. 

Snorre Sturslon, judge of Iceland, was the most distinguished scholar 
of his day. His principal work was the Prosaic Edda. It treats, in 
particular, of Scandinavian mythology. He lived in 1178. His bath 
still attracts the attention of the traveller. The aqueduct of it is five 
hundred feet long, and is composed of hewn stone, finely united by ce- 
ment. The reservoir is similarly constructed, and will contain thirty 
persons. The water was supplied from one of their warm springs. 

The general characteristics of the Icelandic tongue, are copiousness, 
energy, and flexibity, to an extent that rivals every modern language, 
and which enables it to enter into successful competition with the Greek 
and Latin. 

Were not the Iclanders then capable of recording the events incident 
to a voyage of discovery ? 

The internal evidences found in these documents, are in favor of their 
authenticity. 

Besides, there are in existence a series of works from the time when 
these voyages purport to have been made, down to the present time, 
which have been preserved, and which make mention of these disco- 
veries. 

Distinguished men, who have had superior opportunities of ascertain- 
ing the merits of this question, have come to the conclusion, that the 
descendants of the Scandinavians were the discoverers of America, 
prior to the time of Columbus. Among these are Forster, Wheaton, 
and Baron Von Humboldt. 

I know not that any of the Northmen returned to this part of the con- 
tinent to live. 

It is said. Bishop Eric came to Vineland, in 1121, and that the Ice- 
landers visited Nova Scotia in 1347, 



There are evidences that New England and this country were inha- 
bited by a race superior to those found by our forefathers in 1620. 

In proof of this, 1 would mention some things that came under my 
own observation. 1 shall be excused for introducing them, as they are 
connected with the place where the Northmen sojourned. 



21 

' How fond b man to linger around mouldering ruins — to fix the eye 
«on th'e mutilated column, overgrown with ivy ; but are there not antiqui- 
ties as worthy as those of art ? I mean those of our own species. 

I shall make a remark on a human skeleton I saw, not long since, at 
Fall River, in the vicinity of Narragansett Bay. 

I stopped at Pocasset House. You observe they use Indian names 
in Massachusetts as well as in New York. How striking the remarks 
of Professor Hitchcock, in the Geology of Massachusetts, when he de- 
claims against the uncouth names given to some of its mountains. He 
would prefer the harmony of Indian names. 

I had an extensive view of the region around Mount Hope, lying on 
the west of Narragansett Bay. How accurately is the scenery portrayed 
in the Icelandic documents ! 

In the Museum, next door, was the skeleton of one as illustrious as 
the son of Massasoit. It will be recollected that he was a distinguished 
chief; a firm friend of the pilgrims at Plymouth. He had two sons, 
Alexander and Philip. The latter was killed in a piece of woods near 
Fall River. Beautiful is the situation of Mount Hope. On passing it 
lately, the place where Philip's house stood, was pointed out. Mount 
Hope has become a place of resort for those who wish to inhale a pure 
air, and to witness some of the most attractive scenery our country pre- 
sents. 

This skeleton was dug up, a few years since, in that place. It has a 
breast plate or medal hanging from its neck, thirteen inches long, and 
six in width at the top, and five inches at the bottom. It has also, an 
ornament of fillet work around its body, four and a half inches wide. 
These ornaments are made of brass. A knowledge of the uses of this 
artificial metal, implies a considerable advance in the arts. 

I witnessed lately an object of interest in this state. 

Not long since, a large oak tree cut down in Lyons, was taken to 
Newark, and on sawing it, there were found, near the centre, the marks 
of an axe. On counting the concentric circles, it was discovered, that 
four hundred and sixty had been formed since the cutting was made. 

But the most striking circumstance is, that this large cavity, now visi- 
ble, was made, by an edged tool. The rude stone axes of the present 
race of Indians could never have made clefts so smooth as those I saw 
in the block at the Hotel in Newark. 

A clergyman of Cummington, Massachusetts, told me he saw a like 
cut in a hemlock of that place. Since made by an edged tool, three 
hundred and twenty-tlro circles had been formed. A gentleman at Au- 
burn, said he saw a piece of iron taken from a tree, over which had 
grown the circles of several hundred years. 



Such objects ss lliese, shew that tlie Hght of knowledge was Ht up 
here long before the time of Columbus. And by whom this was done, 
and by whom it was blown out, possibly some future antiquaries can tell. 

An important inquiry arises. Was Columbus aware of the discove- 
ries by the Northmen ? 

From a letter preserved by his son, it appears that he visited Iceland 
in 1477. And it is thought by some, that he there obtained a knowledge 
of the discovery of Vineland. Allowing this to be the case, it is singular 
he should never have given any intimations of such knowledge. 

Instead of walking through Spain, leading his son by the hand, would 
he not at once have rushed into the presence of the sovereigns, and 
acquired patronage, wealtli and honor, by telling them that the obscure 
Icelanders had discovered the region he wished to unfold ? 

His greatest enemies never accused him of having reached the new 
world by information received from Iceland. 

After all, let not the circumstance of this prior discovery cause, in our 
view, the laurals given to Columbus to wither on his brow. Let us ever 
honor him for his perseverance and his virtues. 

Let not Leif, and his associate Northmen, deprive him of what the 
voice of nations has awarded, the merit of having given, not to Ferdinand 
and Isabella only, but to successive generations, a new world. 



Iceland, though but a speck on the bosom of the northern ocean, is 
not unworthy our notice. Though dark to a superficial observer ; yet, 
it shines with a lustre, brighter than the flame rising from its volcano. 
It is the light of knowledge. That obscure island is remarkable for the 
attention paid to learning. Even many among the common class pursue 
the higher branches of study. Their long nights are enlivened by the 
custom of every member of the family gathering around the bright lamp, 
while one reads for the amusement and instruction of all. 

The sonrces of happiness are not like those of mighty rivers, hid from 
the view of most people — they are accessible to all. The Icelanders 
living in a remote island, and cut off from privileges that milder climates 
present, are naturally led to look for happiness in the pursuit of knowledge. 

If the celebrated Pliny could say his books were sovereign consolers 
of sorrow, cannot the Icelander also declare, that when mountain waves 
lash the shores, he can find pleasure in the pursuit of those studies that 
mend the heart and enlighten the mind ? Ah, yes, fondness for books will 
create an artificial summer in the depths of the most gloomy season. 

The sunny Italy may boast of the beauteous tints tliat flush her skies ; 
but after all, her effeminate inhabitants may be destitute of that happiness 



23 

enjoyed by those wlio lire where winter reigns uncontrolled most of the 
year. 

The benevolence of Deity is seen in the contentedness felt by those 
who live in the higher latitudes, where, as a writer said of countries north 
of the Alps, nature seems to have acted the part of step-mother. 

What a contrast between the condition of the Icelanders and that of 
their forefathers. They were the worshipers of the god Wodin. And 
what were his attributes 1 He was styled the Father of Carnage ! His 
greatest favorites were such as destroyed most of their fellow creatures 
in the field of battle. 

But the Prince of Peace has broken the sceptre of the Father of 
Carnage. 

A word in praise of the Scandinavians. Like the Patriarch, they 
went in search of a region, they knew not M'here. We praise them for 
their courage — we applaud them for their zeal — we respect them for their 
motives ; for they were anxious to enlarge the boundaries of knowledge. 
They reached the wished-for land, 

Wh«re now the western sun, 
O'er fields, and floods, o'er every hving soul 
Difl^useth glad repose. 

Such men as a Caesar or a Tamerlane conquer but to devastate coun- 
tries. Discoverers add new regions of fertility and beauty to those 
already known. And are not the hardy adventurers, ploughing the briny 
wave, more attractive than the troops of Alexander, marching to conquer 
the world, with plumes waving in the gentle breeze, with arms glittering 
in the sun-beams? Who can tell the benefits the former confer on man- 
kind ? 

To count them all demands a thousand tongues, 
A throat of brass and adamantine lungs. 



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